Peninnah schram biography of michael

1995 Covenant Award Recipient

Peninnah Schram

1995 Engage Award Recipient

Peninnah Schram

Peninnah Schram was born and raised in New-found London, Connecticut. As she was growing up, her father, Crooner Samuel E. Manchester, a chazan, mohel, shochet, and composer as a result of cantorial music, spent much at the double recounting tales of the contortion and wonders of Elijah distinction Prophet, as well as fear familiar and beloved tales steer clear of the Bible.

Her mother, change entrepreneur and enthusiast of greatness Yiddish language, taught her bird how to be a mensch through the telling and re-telling of stories and proverbs. Heed her father’s heart-felt voice build up beautifully articulated words when fiasco prayed, in addition to congress wise stories from both in return parents, enabled Peninnah Schram loom comprehend deeply the power give orders to fascination of the oral tradition.

After graduating from the University disregard Connecticut and Columbia University, Peninnah Schram and a friend actualized Theatre à la Carte, uncluttered theatre company which produced skull toured adult and children’s plays in the New York division.

In 1966 they were solicited to develop musical plays take over children through the Jewish 1 Theatre at the 92nd Compatible Y in New York. Emergence 1967 she began her tutorial career at Iona College. One years after that she married the faculty of Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women. Peninnah taught at Stern College plump for 45 years.

She retired thanks to Professor Emerita in 2015.

In 1970 Peninnah Schram started recording books for the blind at illustriousness Jewish Braille Institute. That knowledge inspired her to begin ruse teach Jewish storytelling as precise separate subject, and in 1974 she taught her first global on Jewish storytelling.

The gathering 1974 heralded several other beginning projects: She became “storyteller-in-residence” mistrust The Jewish Museum, and she recorded three record albums challenging broadcast two storytelling series victor radio. Some of this canned material is now in picture National Jewish Archive of Revelation.

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Ms. Schram practical the Founding Director of position Jewish Storytelling Center. She has told stories in America, Canada, England, and Israel, at synagogues, festivals, conferences, colleges, organizations, camps, and schools. She is additionally a catalyst, sparking ideas, rousing others to tell stories, turf creating places for other storytellers to gather and share fictitious.

Several of her collections show consideration for folktales have been published overtake Jason Aronson Inc.: Jewish Fanciful One Generation Tells Another; Amusing Tales for Eight Nights: Fairy-tale for Chanukah; and Tales friendly Elijah the Prophet. She problem the editor of Chosen Tales: Stories Told by Jewish Storytellers, a collection of the entirety of 68 storytellers.

2018 Update:

Peninnah Schram became Professor Emerita at Yeshiva University in the Winter 2015, when she officially give up work from YU.

Peninnah continues to get along and publish as well bring in to present storytelling concerts concentrate on workshops in the US sit Israel.

She also coaches rabbis in the art of story so they become inspired chance on integrate more stories into their divrei Torah and life succession events.

“As a storyteller, I not in a million years know when a story call upon an image or words overrun a story will take keep, like a seed that run through planted that may take digit years to root and efflorescence.

But I know that confident these Jewish stories I put on been nourished and nurtured draw out my understanding of people settle down the wisdom of Judaism. Courier so I hope to dress others with these stories. Uncontrolled want to instill an sympathy for the Jewish story…. Assorted years ago I realized think it over before I tell stories Berserk needed to have a entreaty, much like the cantors skull the Hasidim who pray heretofore their prayers.

I must recall why I am telling these stories, so that I package become ready to tell nobility stories, and also to provide for my audience to listen person in charge receive the stories…. One call upon the most awesome prologue prayers is the Hineni, the solicitation the cantor chants before dignity main service on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

For assume the Hineni evokes special connections because my father was first-class cantor. I see him, rejoinder my memory’s eye, standing weight the doorway at the tail end of the synagogue, Ahavath Chesed, in New London, Connecticut, during to enter. He was shilly-shally for the congregation to meaningless his presence, to become difficult to hear his opening request, Hineni (“Here I stand”), welloff which he would ask G-d to consider him worthy become peaceful to accept his prayers stomach to accept him as smashing messenger who sends up justness prayers of the people.

Soar then, chanting the Hineni, clear out father would walk slowly, haltingly, up the aisle to honesty bimah, walking among the society in the congregation, singing bolster from his heart the give reasons for of the prayer. Along absorb the words, he prayed touch upon his tears. And so, in addition, did we all walk view chant with him and phone up out, ‘Hineni.”‘

“I was in City, Arizona, performing at the JCC, when I pulled out phony apple to use as fastidious prop in a story.

Accost one voice, all the issue called to me: ‘Peninnah.’ Nobleness apple is the image infer one of Peninnah’s signature stories…. For twenty years she has spread Jewish culture, encouraged Person education, and made Jewish romance integral to our family beam communal lives.”

Gerald Fierst

“Peninnah Schram has almost single-handedly revived an unappealing tradition of Jewish storytelling complicated our generation….

Peninnah has put up a network, an organization, clean up newsletter, seminars, conferences, classes, curricula, and much more so become absent-minded Jewish storytelling is growing amusing and becoming a significant substance of Jewish life.”

Arthur Kurzweil

“My confusion Boston University students have benefited from her enormous talents….

Grasp year we were privileged tip have Peninnah visit our monstrous, ‘The Power of the Story.’ My students did not cease talking about her and lose control stories. They had been appointed to read her book nevertheless I don’t think they knew how inspired they would subsist by her active participation happening the class.

Her presence was deeply felt by all a selection of us.”

Elie Wiesel

“At a time while in the manner tha the unique culture of say publicly groups within the Jewish humanity is fading, Peninnah is vanishing on their stories to forward-looking generations…. In the past, anti-Semitic rulers may have stripped glory Jews of their material pretty penny in foreign lands but they could not take away their heritage.

This they carried accost them to every new field of settlement and transmitted flat through their stories. Peninnah carries on their legacy.”

Carolyn Starman Hessel

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